Upon the official opening of each day of Expo’98, three pieces of music were played during the formalities, in the presence of the highest representatives of the State: the anthem of Portugal, the host country, the anthem of the guest country and the Exposition’s anthem, “Pangea”. Named after the prehistoric sub-continent which gave rise to the ones we know today, the anthem was composed by Nuno Rebelo in 1996. A kaleidoscope of sounds which combines Portuguese guitars and an epic symphonic base.
When it came to writing the music, the composer (as he explains on his site) had to bear some things in mind: the music had to reflect the cultural diversity of the planet, had to be inspired by the oceans, be epic and contain easily recognisable melodic elements. Mission accomplished!